Bun-B Gets Recharged on Roads Untraveled

An easy way to get my attention is to put the words "Linkin Park feat Bun-B" in the subject line of an email. In other words, you don't get that type of a high quality, cross genre collaboration every day. To be completely frank, I hadn't even heard the original version of Roads Untraveled prior to hearing the remix. Shame on me, especially since you can't un-hear a remixed version. If you were in the same boat, check the original below...

The Rad Omen remix below is different from the original in that it's sound is a quite a bit more energetic. The Bun-B verse seems a bit cut and pasted, but I'm willing to overlook that because it sounds pretty awesome. Before you go thinking that this isn't a "sanctioned" remix, think again. Linkin Park just released Recharged, which is yet another full length "reinterpretation" album. Needless to say, I am more than curious and will be doing a swan dive into that pool of audio goodness after I'm done writing this...#Recharged

Linkin Park feat Bun-B - Roads Untraveled (Rad Omen Remix)

Videos of the Week July 26th

Whole lotta comedy this week in the form of The Lonely Island's performance on Jimmy Fallon and Colbert's entertaining roast of Kanye's new clothing line. Aside from that, I enjoyed the really well done piece by Jason Goldwatch on Bun-B. He is a living legend and I'm glad to see him get the respect he deserves through features like this. Still loving just about everything that Big K.R.I.T. puts out and am excited as hell to see Miguel on tour with Drake this fall...#WouldYouLikeATour
The Lonely Island Perform YOLO on Jimmy Fallon

Stephen Colbert Talks About Kanye's Clothing Line

Bun-B Time Pieces by Jason Goldwatch

Big K.R.I.T. - Multi Til the Sun Die (Video)

Miguel - How Many Drinks Acoustic Session

"I am Houston, Rep it Hard"

I'll be the first to admit, I didn't really know Beyonce was from Houston, Texas. Matter of fact, other than Kirko Bangz, there really hasn't been an R&B artist that has repped H-town and participated in the screwed and chopped movement. That all changed today when Houston as a collective came together to support Beyonce's new one off her upcoming Mrs. Carter album. Check the fan made video below for the original version of the track that will be on the album...

I Been On is proof that no matter who you are, you can embody the tough "Houston" sound with a little screwed/chopped treatment. I never thought I'd say the words, "man that new Bey track is tough!", but today that happened thanks to help from Houston All-Stars Bun B, Z-Ro, Willie D of Geto Boys, Slim Thugga, and Lil Keke. Oh and in case you missed it, Beyonce is about to begin touring the globe, so there's a good chance she'll be coming somewhere near you...#IBeenOn

Beyonce Ft. Bun B, Z-Ro, Scarface, Willie D, Slim Thug, Lil Keke – “I Been On (Remix) (prod by Hit Boy)

"Ain't Nobody Trippin' Cause the Money Already Made"

Might as well start calling them New G.K. the way @BIGKRIT and @BunBTrillOG are cranking out tracks these days. Last week I posted their new Air Jordan XX3 promo track Check the Sign and this week it's another new one off K.R.I.T.'s upcoming King Remembered in Time mixtape.

The track takes on a similar opening to International Players Anthem with the old school sample. The more I listen, the more I gain an appreciation for just how much UGK's style influenced the way K.R.I.T. makes music. The smooth, funk filled Shine On is a perfect example of why he has just as much of a right as @tip to the throne as King of the South...#ShineOn

Big K.R.I.T. feat Bun-B - Shine On

Air Jordan XX8 Days of Flight

In celebration of the newest installment of Air Jordans, @BIGKRIT and @BunBTrillOG decided to get together a new track called Check the Sign. If you aren't a sneakerhead, you may have missed the newest version, the Air Jordan XX3s, which just came out this week. Check the promo below for visuals...

As far as the track is concerned, there isn't a much more dynamic Hip Hop duo than Bun and K.R.I.T. You might as well call them the new version of UGK the way K.R.I.T. channels the late great Pimp C..."You can't, you can't walk a mile, you can't, you can't walk a mile in mine"...#XX8DaysOfFlight

Big K.R.I.T. feat Bub-B - Check the Sign (prod by Big K.R.I.T.)

Videos of the Week October 12th

Really random set of videos this week ranging from the newest, biggest Hip Hop video from @wale to a well constructed new EDM video to yet another rapper working the ESPN circuit. The two most unique videos have to be @MiguelUnlimited's acoustic rendition of Adorn and the new trailer to Anthony Hopkins new soon to be blockbuster movie about Alfred Hitchcock's life. Two facts make them unique and worth watching: 1) Miguel has a great voice and 2) Anthony Hopkins is a great actor. Really only one word can rightfully describe the range of videos this week...#Random

Wale feat Drake & Rick Ross - Diced Pineapples (Video)

Alesso feat Matthew Koma - Years (Video)

South Park Sessions Miguel Performing Adorn (Acoustic)

Bun-B on ESPN First Take

Hitchcock Movie Trailer

"No Introductions Needed, Boy Just Call Me the Undefeated"

Straight up, the world is a better place to live in when @BigBoi is putting out new music. Sure we'd all appreciate a new Outkast album, but settling for a solo album from Sir Lucious Left Foot is not a consolation I'm willing to live with. It just so happens, that consolation season begins on November 13th when Big Boi is scheduled to drop his new album Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors.

You may remember Big Boi quietly releasing a new track called She Said OK about a month ago, which was supposed to be on the new album. The track was OK, but didn't sound like lead single material. I can say for a fact now that the track below will instead serve as the lead single for his new album. I'll let @BIGKRIT introduce the track below and explain how he became a part of it...

What do I think about the track you ask? Not even tryin' to gas you all up, Gossip is going to end up being one of my top 10 favorite tracks when 2012 wraps up. Off top, the in your face UGK sample is hype as hell. Simply put K.R.I.T. murdered the beat and his shortened verse was on point like butterfly knife. Taking it a step further, if anyone else but Big K.R.I.T. attempts to recycle a Pimp C verse, I'll probably end up going ape shit. It was cool to hear @BunBTrillOG pitch in a verse at the end, serving as the icing on the proverbial Hip Hop classic cake.

I don't care what type of music you like, if you can't wild out a least a little bit to this thick slice of country Southern pie, then you need to hit that x on the browser in the top right hand corner of this window and promptly never come back...#ThatsMyWord

Big Boi feat Big K.R.I.T & UGK - Gossip (prod by Big K.R.I.T.)

|iTunes

Proof That Mike is a Bigga Beast

Tough is an adjective Southern rap has always been closely tied to through the years. From the invent of trap music that exploded from the epicenter of Southern Hip Hop (Atlanta), you haven't heard anything but tales of struggle and hustling to survive. In other words, the stories are gruff, rigid and there isn't anything you could characterize as soft.

I say all this because @killermikegto held no prisoners when he went 0-60 in a matter of seconds on his lead single Big Beast off his upcoming tag team album with @therealelp. I'm talking like NWA style, in your face, bar after bar ferocity on the mic is what you can expect below. Even better, he managed to solicit verses from the two best in the South with @tip and @bunbtrillog chipping in verses. If this is any indication of how solid Mike Bigga's new album R.A.P. Music (Rebellious African People's Music) is going to be, I've got no problem perpetuating the hype...#May15th

Killer Mike feat T.I. Bun B & Trouble - Big Beast (prod by El-P)

Sample Justice: Mike Posner Takes on Elton John & Oasis

Want in on a little secret? There's a reason why mixtapes can sometimes trump studio albums when it comes to quality. Two words...Sample...Clearance. Ask yourself, do you think @Oasis and Elton John would allow @mikeposner to sample their biggest hit for free out of the kindness of their heart? FOH! Course not!

So what's the best way to get around it? Make a free mixtape featuring a bunch of great artists and offer it for free on datpiff on a customized page with a countdown to hype it up. Today it will drop in it's entirety and it's an absolute beast as a whole. I can say that without hearing all of the tracks because I already really like four of the tracks. They're not only noteworthy samples of classic tracks featuring some of my favorite rappers (@bigkrit & @BunBTrillOG), but even more amazingly, they're produced by Mike Posner himself. To a layman, that may not mean much, but flipping two classic and trying to mold them into your own sound is not a small task.

Even better, Mike understands the value of making great music to increase his buzz. How did the tracks leak prior to the release of the mixtape? See below, it's simple...

Suffice to say he's making a lot of good music of late and making my job as a blogger easy as hell. There's no telling when Posner's sophomore album Sky High will drop, but if it's half as awesome as his newest mixtape, it'll be pretty epic. After one lap around The Layover, I see no reason why it can't be in the discussion for best mixtape of the year. To put it simple, Sample Justice was served in both instances below, no hatin' over here, he did that...#BunBVoice

Mike Posner feat Bun-B - Rocketman (prod by Mike Posner)

|Download Mixtape

Mike Posner feat Big K.R.I.T. - Wonderwall (prod by Mike Posner)

|Download Mixtape

Videos of the Week

Man, I'm pretty solid on the fact that @coldplay is on my concert bucket list. They definitely play in concert and their SNL appearance was a testament to that on a much smaller, more intimate scale. Pretty cool to see @drake bring out @MACHINEGUNKELLY while performing in his hometown of Cleveland. Is it me or does it appearance wise like @jackiechain74 isn't what you'd expect when you think of Southern Rap? That's what's great about Hip Hop, you can find a dude who doesn't look like he'd fit in completely blend with two of the best in @BunBTrillOG and @bigkrit. Don't sleep on that @Wale album either, it's been out a few weeks on iTunes...

Jackie Chain feat Bun-B & Big K.R.I.T. - Parked Outside (Video)


Wale feat Miguel - Lotus Flower Bomb (Video)


Drake Performs Make Me Proud & Brings Out Machine Gun Kelly in Cleveland


Coldplay Performs Paradise on SNL


Coldplay Performs Every Teardrop is a Waterfall on SNL


Taio Cruz - Troublemaker (Video)

"I'm Throwed to the Side Like a Lateral"

Recently, every time I look for new music it seems like @bigkrit's name is all over it. I can't confirm it, but based on context clues, i.e. the slightly screwed hook, I'm guessing K.R.I.T. was behind the beat. Put it this way, if you're not singing the hook to yourself after the second listen, you must not have an appreciation for Southern Hip Hop. Even better, @BunBTrillOG chipped in on a verse, which served as icing on the cake for an already awesome track.

@bobatl's new mixtape, Epic: Every Play is Crucial is where the track below,5 On the Kush, is first supposed to land. I say first because the track is also tentatively slated to land on his new studio album Strange Clouds in March 2012. No firm date on the mixtape, but since his first single off Strange Clouds is already out, I'd be willing to bet coming soon is a safe bet.

Anybody else really enjoying all this great Southern Hip Hop that's dropped lately? I know I'm biased because much of my love for Hip Hop music originated from songs that sound exactly like the track below, but it's really cool seeing the impact K.R.I.T. is beginning to have on Southern Hip Hop. He's doing his best to keep the screwed and chopped flame alive by evolving its original sound to be more contemporary. When I say contemporary, I mean most screwed and chopped tracks don't ever make it to singles, but K.R.I.T.'s sampling of the sound is less abrasive and easier to listen to. Evidence? #PressPlayBelow...

B.O.B. feat Bun-B & Big K.R.I.T. - 5 On the Kush

Videos of the Week

Not a huge week for videos, but all the tweens will appreciate the new @BrunoMars video with all the twilight clips. Cool to see @drake perform Make Me Proud in Happy Valley during a week where there wasn't a lot of pride on campus. It's interesting too, to hear an artist like @BunBTrillOG chip in his 2 cents on the whole scandal. It's going to get worse before it gets better, I just hope all those allegations about pimping little kids doesn't end up being true. #NeverLeaveYourKidsAlone

Bruno Mars - It Will Rain (Video)

Drake Perfroms Make Me Proud at Penn State

Bun-B Speaks on Slaughterhouse and Penn State Scandal

Big Sean Speaks With Peter Bailey on NBC NiteCap

Wale Performs Lotus Flower Bomb on Jimmy Kimmel with Miguel

Wiz Khalifa's WK Today Celebrating Amber Rose's B-Day

Big K.R.I.T. is the New South

Even though I could probably spend the next two weeks dissecting every Take Care track a day at a time, I'm trying to mix in a little variety with the non-stop Drake . Hopefully that's a good thing, even though my analytics tell me that my @Drake posts garner the most attention. Anyways, there seems to be a growing trend in Southern Hip Hop to include @bigkrit on a lot of material. We're not just talking obscure features like on up and coming Alabama native @jackiechain74's new track (below). We're talkin' household names like Luda, T.I.P and The Roots.

That may be surprising to some, but I was sold every since I heard Hometown Heroes with @Yelawolf. That track is a perfect example of why K.R.I.T. has not only been able to find a niche, but further the screwed and chopped styles that artists like DJ Screw, Pimp C, Three Six Mafia and 8ball & MJG created. What was once a facet of underground Hip Hop has bubbled to the top thanks to a lot of high profile singles by the aforementioned artists. I was fearful that with the deaths of DJ Screw and Pimp C, screwed/chopped Hip Hop music would go by the way of the dinosaur. Luckily, with the death of Pimp Chad came a new Southern messiah from Mississippi that fully understands and is readily able to reproduce the slow, drawn out samples that fans of screwed/chopped music came to love.

I present to you, two exhibits below that put on full display K.R.I.T.'s talents as both a producer and artist. The first will be the lead single off his forthcoming album Live From the Underground, due out in 2012. He got on camera to discuss why his album was pushed back from a Sept 2011 release to an early 2012 release.


It's interesting hearing him talk about sampling and how it slows down his creative process. Man...wouldn't life be great if every artist could sample whatever they wanted without repercussions? #Anarchy

If you're within the confines of your household and not with any youngins, feel free and peruse the NSFW-style video for Money on the Floor. It really doesn't get much better than hearing @dareal_8ball & @pimptypemjg over a slow Southern beat. Takes me back to 8ball's double disk album Lost that had me hooked on Memphis Rap like 13 years ago. One of the coolest things about Hip Hip is seeing artists like Big K.R.I.T. collaborated with veteran artists that have been in the game for decades. Mixing old with new can be toxic, but when it comes to Southern Rap, it's a treat.

Big K.R.I.T. feat 8ball, MJG & 2 Chainz - Money on the Floor
(prod by Big K.R.I.T.)


Jackie Chain feat Big K.R.I.T. & Bun-B - Parked Outside
(prod by Big K.R.I.T)

Videos of the Week

Two main things to note:
1. @labrinthda1st's track Earthquake will put him on the map and be a #1 single eventually. I cannot stop playing it, it's simply...dope!
2. We've been teased like this before, but the footage of Dr. Dre in studio previewing one of his "Detox" tracks in studio is downright exciting. That album will always be the hot girl no matter how long it takes to release it or if it ever comes. It doesn't matter how many times we get teased, we'll always stop what we're doing to listen in hopes of getting a taste of the real thing. Have a good weekend y'all!

Labrinth feat Tinie Tempah - Earthquake (Video)

Dr. Dre Previews New Detox Track in Studio

Travis Barker feat Beanie Sigel, Bun B, Kobe - Just Chill (Video)

@KarminMusic - No Scrubs (Cover)(Video)

Kelly Rowland feat Big Sean - Lay it on Me (Video)

Tyrese feat Ludacris - Too Easy (Video)

"So Certified USDA Brand Dude From PA Man"

Couple low key, smooth leaks from @chuckisdope and @sirmichaelrocks upcoming album When Fish Ride Bicycles. Surprising we're less than a week before it officially hits iTunes on July 12th and it hasn't fully leaked to the masses, which is a rarity. Put it this way though, when you've waited a couple years for a follow up album, what's a few days right? Yea, I'm cool snackin' on these two joints til I get to cop the album in it's entirety.

And it's shaping up to be a mellow, organic sounding effort from what I've heard so far. Pretty cool to see TCK collab with the likes of Pharrell and @bunbtrillog, but again, if you're a fan of Chuck and Mikey, you're not gonna buy their music because you recognize a few names on the back of the album. They've got a unique enough of a sound and dedicated following to not have to get high profile names on their work to push records. Still can't hate though, the Pharrell produced Summertime is breezy and fit for warm weather, while Gas Station feels like it was doused with a pint of Texas Tea. Heavy bass and a simple hook over a slow, steady pitter patter drum backbone give it a Texas Hip Hop flavor that is hard to resist. With every listen I'm sucked in and find myself steady head nodding to the beat and fighting the urge to let loose a few ba ba ba ba ba bum badas.

It's been a while that I've been so in an artist's corner to sell as many records as possible because they deserve to have more success and notoriety than they currently have. The Cool Kids would be that exception, so feel free and use that iTunes gift cert you've had sittin' on the dresser since Christmas on some high quality Hip Hop on July 12th...#CopThatIsh or stream the whole album here if you want a taste...

The Cool Kids feat Bun-B - Gas Station


The Cool Kids feat Maxine Ashley - Summer Jam (prod by Pharrell)

Best of Planking in Hip Hop

It's not everyday that a worldwide fad is started by Australians, but the whole Planking craze can be traced back to the land down under. Back in May, it took the country by storm as Brisbane, Australia police warned of the dangers of planking following the first of what will probably be more than a few tragedies, as plankers continue to push the completely flat, downward facing envelope. (Note: At time of publish 436,000 likes on FB)

It took a few months, but the ripples of the odd craze were eventually felt in the US when all the sudden everyone was posting plank photos on Twitter. It's all cause and effect and the cause of it becoming a craze in the US was hugely in part to Twitter and the opinion leaders on Twitter (celebrities), taking part in the trend. Like anything else odd and potentially dangerous, when planking or the laying down game is done in safe surroundings, it can be entertaining to see people rigidly balancing between or on top of two objects in creative ways. This week Hip Hop had their run with planking as it adopted it's own index-able way to segment the fad with the hash-tag #PlankLife. Below are a couple of my favorites, along with a photo album of the highlights...

@BigSean Planking

@joebudden Planking

@thegame Planking in Studio

@bigboi Planking

@DIPLO Planking on Elephant

@djafrojack Planking

Check the photo album below for more planking highlights...

"Gripping That Stick Like an Icicle, Sweet Like a Candy Cane"

I've always been a hesitant to embrace posthumous releases, but the obvious exception would be for anything Chad Butler related. Having ruled the South with their characteristically slow delivery and no holds barred lyrics, Pimp and @BUNBTRILLOG will always be regarded as two of the biggest opinion and style leaders musically in Hip Hop. They blazed a path their own way with audacity and swagger that Hip Hop had never experienced from the Lone Star state.

Sure in a perfect world, @bigkrit woulda found a way to collab with Pimp C prior to his passing, but the world isn't perfect unfortunately, so we as Hip Hop fans will have to find a way to appreciate Pimp's style that lives on through King Remembered In Time. The track below up the ante on Pimp's upcoming album Still Pimping that will drop on July 12th.

Also, if you're a fan of the shirt pictured above, feel free to cop it here for $26 + Shipping. Man if only Hip Hop could keep up this constant flow of great tracks every month I'd have an easy job picking what to post like I have this month. Enjoy it while it lasts folks...

Pimp C Feat. Bun B & Big K.R.I.T. - Grippin' on the Wood
|Cop It

Videos of the Week

@yelawolf's Daddy's Lambo Video

Bad Meets Evil - Fast Lane Video

@BIGKRIT feat @ludacris & @BUNBTRILLOG - Country Shit (Remix) Video

@THEREALCROOKEDI - Everyday Video

What Is Racks on Racks on Racks?

It's rare for a completely unheard of artist to come out of the blue with a track that makes Hip Hop as a whole stop walking and acknowledge it's presence. It's rare, but not impossible, especially if you're name is @1YUNGCHRIS and you managed to entice fifteen (@cyhidaprynce, @YOUNGJEEZY, @BUNBTRILLOG, @twistagmg, @Doseworld, @bobatl, @BIGSEAN, @CORYMOMUSIC, @corygunz, @nelly_mo, @TRAEABN, @wakaflockabsm, @Wale, @RealWizKhalifa and @YOGOTTIKOM) noteworthy Hip Hop artists to join the cause on the extended remix. IDGAF what Hip Hop track I'm listenin' to, if it has a very simple beat and lyrics that aren't thought provoking in the least, it's just too much. It's like going to Coldstone and getting a Gotta Have It size, you feel me? I damn near had to delete half my hard drive to clear space for this monstrous 29.3 MB track and even more alarming, I managed to run about a mile and a half just to this remix. I exaggerate, but sill, unless it's a techno/dance track, it shouldn't be half as long as 12 mins 47 sec.

Needless to say, if I wasn't thoroughly annoyed with this track from hearing it everywhere I go, I was at the end of the extended remix. For all you folks who Googled this and are wondering what the hell "racks on racks racks on racks" means, they are referring to bundles of money in thousand dollar amounts. In other words, 1 rack is $1000, so racks on racks refers to this picture of YC below with the stacks of $1000 on top of each other...

I'll admit though, on first listen, I fully understood why the track blew up. It's a simple pleasure, even for the most sophisticated Hip Hop fan. The bouncy beat,  non-stop repeatability, creates a fun, dumbed down feel that keeps it simple, which can be good sometimes. Shoot even the producer on the track, @SONNYDIGITAL was completely unknown to most of Hip Hop until this track. Time will tell if this turns into a one hit wonder effort, but I'd rather be a has been then a never was. Peep the video, which managed to top @106andpark today...

As a bonus, check out @BEIMAEJOR's piano version of the track below...

The original track is off of the @DJGREGSTREET hosted Got Racks mixtape that dropped back in early April. Universal Records liked Yung Chris enough to sign him, so maybe there's more heat to come. Time will tell, til then feel free to catch up on all that is racks below...

Yung Chris feat Future - Racks on Racks (Original)


Ace Hood feat YC - Racks on Racks (Remix)


YC feat. CyHi Da Prynce, Young Jeezy, Bun B, Twista, Young Dose , B.o.B., Big Sean, Cory Mo, Cory Gunz, Nelly, Trae The Truth, Waka Flocka, Wale, Wiz Khalifa & Yo Gotti - Racks on Racks (Remix)

"I Like To Fly the Friendly Skies Until the Sky Fall"

Man...I miss Red and Meth...the Funk Doctor Spock and the Iron Lung...Reggie Noble and the Ticalian Stalian. They vibe off each other like no other rap duo in their own easygoing, humorous, but lyrically intense way. The original Blackout album they did in 1999 was classic in every way shape and form, with tracks like Y.O.U., Blackout and the ultimate classic Rocwilder. Basically if you ain't excited as a mofo that they're even hinting at a Blackout 3 that is due out the oven in the next year, then you must cheer for WikiLeaks. 

The track below is off Redman's seventh studio album Reggie, due out tomorrow in stores. It combines the skills of @therealredman, @methodman with a guest spot from Trill University representer @BUNBTRILLOG. All three weave in and out of a bouncy beat over dreamy keys, creating a relaxing tone that fits perfectly with their uplifting subject matter. Not everyday you get all three heavyweights on one track, so indulge in the moment and feel free to continue being excited for more music to come from Red and Meth.

Redman feat Method Man & Bun-B - Lite 1 Witcha Boi

|Download